Uniform Rules & Regulations v. Board of Tax Appeals

157 N.E.2d 894, 80 Ohio Law. Abs. 129, 1958 Ohio App. LEXIS 884
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 12, 1958
DocketNo. 5947
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 157 N.E.2d 894 (Uniform Rules & Regulations v. Board of Tax Appeals) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Uniform Rules & Regulations v. Board of Tax Appeals, 157 N.E.2d 894, 80 Ohio Law. Abs. 129, 1958 Ohio App. LEXIS 884 (Ohio Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

OPINION

By MILLER, J.

This is a law appeal by the Board of Tax Appeals from the judgment of the Common Pleas Court, holding Rules 100, 101, 104-D-24, 105 and 106 of the Board of Tax Appeals unlawful, invalid and unreasonable. These rules were promulgated by the said Board pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act under a grant of- administrative authority provided in §§5703.02 and 5715.01 R. C.

The appellant-appellee, John J. Carney, as auditor, citizen and taxpayer of Cuyahoga County, appealed from the adoption of these Rules [130]*130to the Common Pleas Court of Franklin County under the provisions of §119.11 R. C., and the appeal to this court is prosecuted under the same section. It has been conceded by all counsel that the said Rules were promulgated in accordance with the procedural requirements; hence, it would serve no useful purpose to recite the facts attendant upon their adoption. Therefore, the question presented is, whether or not the Common Pleas Court erred in holding that said Rules are unreasonable and unlawful.

It is well established in Ohio that the Legislature, while not empowered to delegate legislative powers, may properly delegate to administrative agencies quasi legislative power where it has laid down the policy to be followed and established the standards or rules by which the administrative agency is to be governed and restricted in adopting rules and determining facts to which the expressed policy is to apply.

In the case of Matz v. Curtis Cartage Company, 132 Oh St 271, the court held that “the General Assembly cannot delegate legislative power to an administrative board and any enactment which in terms does so is unconstitutional and void; but laws may be passed which confer on such a board administrative powers only.”

It is urged that the said Rules are unlawful for the reason that §§5703.02, Paragraph K, 5713.01, 5713.03 and 5715.01 R. C., as amended by Senate Bill 109, enacted by the 102nd General Assembly of the State of Ohio, are unconstitutional in that they constitute an unlawful delegation of legislative power upon an administrative board and are not in conformity with Section 2, Article XII, Ohio Constitution.

Sec. 5703.02 R. C., provides in part as follows:

“The board of tax appeals shall exercise the following powers and perform the following duties of the department of taxation; * * * (C) Exercise the authority provided by law relative to determining whether the real property, and the various classes thereof, in the counties, municipal corporations, and taxing districts have been assessed by uniform rule and according to taxable value, and relative to increasing or decreasing the aggregate value of real property in the counties, municipal corporations, and taxing districts; * * * (K) subject to provisions of §§119.01 to 119.13, inclusive, R. C., exercise the authority provided by law relative to the adoption and promulgation of uniform rules and methods for the assessment of real property according to taxable value, in accordance with the provisions of Section 2, Article XII, Ohio Constitution.

Section 2, Article XII, Ohio Constitution, provides that:

“No property taxed according to value shall be so taxed in excess of one percent of its true value in money * *

Counsel for the Board admits that §5703.02 R. C., sets no standards for its guidance in fixing the taxable value, but urges that §5715.01 R. C., does this as specific as the nature of the function permits. This section contains the following language:

“* * * The board shall adopt, prescribe, and promulgate rules for the assessment of real property by uniform rule according to value. * * * Such rules shall provide that such taxable value be determined on the basis of all facts and circumstances which the board finds necessary in [131]*131order to achieve uniformity and avoid overvaluation and discrimination. * * (Emphasis added.)

It is to be noted that by the terms of this statute the legislative policy is set forth, to wit, that taxable value shall be such as will “achieve uniformity and avoid overvaluation and discrimination” and “be determined on the basis of all facts and circumstances.” Therefore, the Board is only authorized to consider facts and circumstances which are found to be necessary to carry out the expressed policy of the Legislature.

There is nothing in the record which tends to show that the Board, in adopting the Rules, did not consider the “facts and circumstances” which would be relevant. It must, therefore, be presumed that the Board took cognizance of the same and adopted them in accordance with the fixed legislative standard.

It is our opinion that nothing could be more reasonable in the field of taxation than to establish a policy of uniform assessments of real property, for the burden of disproportionate taxation is intolerable. The ianguage employed by the Legislature to express its policy of uniformity appears to be well expressed and intelligible.

Counsel for the Board urges that it is a matter of common knowledge that county auditors throughout the state have employed widely different methods of valuation and, as a result, a lack of uniformity existed in the taxing districts throughout the state. It is for this reason that the attempt is being made to place in the Board of Tax Appeals the authority to fix the tax values of assessed property in the various counties. The need for such uniform rules and methods of assessment appears to be in the interest of the public welfare.

In Weber v. Board of Health, 148 Oh St 389, the court held that rule-making bodies must be allowed a wide discretion where it is impossible to lay down standards, saying at page 396:

“* * * it is recognized that there are many occasions where the nature of the problem makes it impossible to lay down standards, and as a result rule-making bodies must be allowed a wide discretion without anything as their guide except the general policy of the law-making body and the law that such bodies must not legislate or make rules which are unreasonable, discriminatory or contrary to constitutional rights.”

Similarly in the seventh paragraph of the syllabus, in Matz v. Curtis Cartage Company, 132 Oh St 271, the court held:

“7. As a general rule a law which confers discretion on an executive officer or board without establishing any standards for guidance is a delegation of legislative power and unconstitutional; but when the discretion to be exercised relates to a police regulation for the protection of the public morals, health, safety or general welfare, and it is impossible or impracticable to provide such standards, and to do so would defeat the legislative object sought to be accomplished, legislation conferring such discretion may be valid and constitutional without such restrictions and limitations.”

Taxation is an extremely complicated subject which the Legislature may wisely leave to the Tax Board, which is especially qualified and sits in continuous session. Thus for many years, the leading writers and the [132]*132highest courts of other states have advocated allowing the same latitude of action to boards of equalization that Ohio has seen fit to delegate to its local boards of health and Public Utilities Commission.

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Bluebook (online)
157 N.E.2d 894, 80 Ohio Law. Abs. 129, 1958 Ohio App. LEXIS 884, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/uniform-rules-regulations-v-board-of-tax-appeals-ohioctapp-1958.